sjar Chapter 450 Prelude to Sorrow (1)
Chapter 450 Prelude to Sorrow (1)
Xiong Yu'an did not stop his mother, but turned around and silently went back into the house to put down his bag.
The sound of children laughing came from her room. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickened her pace, almost running to the door.
Looking inside, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
A child sat on the bay window of the balcony, her dangling shoes clattering against the white wall, leaving gray and black arcs and patches in her wake. She laughed as she watched the drama unfolding on the bed.
A child, only three or four years old, was running on the bed in his own shoes, falling down, sitting up, and rolling over, trying to avoid the "eagle" that was trying to catch him.
The eagle tugged at the other's sleeve and shouted, "Get down! Don't put your shoes on before you get on the bed!"
The children ignored them, finding it even more stimulating, and laughed even more sharply and excitedly.
The lower part of the bookshelf is somewhat empty, perhaps because the person who started it is too short to disturb the higher parts.
This place was originally mostly filled with Xiong Yu'an's books and notebooks.
The bottom of the bookcase was the least convenient place to reach the books, so she chose to store them there—a secluded spot that would least disturb her father, yet it became fertile ground for her.
This attracted the iron hooves of curious invaders.
On the ground, scattered with spoils of war, were shoe prints of various sizes, as well as water stains and oil stains.
Including those treasures that she herself couldn't bear to leave out a single stroke of, without a single crease, which she would carefully embrace and gaze at for a long time every day, treasures she had kept for a long time.
Xiong Yu'an's breathing stopped; the brief but intense shock left her without any emotion whatsoever.
It felt like suddenly falling from a great height, with weightlessness being the only sensation.
She froze, her blood practically freezing.
Zuo Xiuyan's level of alienation suddenly rose from 23% to 25%, and it was still fluctuating.
[Differentiation Rate: 26%]
[Differentiation Rate: 27%]
[Differentiation Rate: 28%]
Like a screen refresh, the numbers changed rapidly.
On the distant horizon, huge waves surged up.
……
The eagle first noticed the wooden carving at the entrance, stopped its capture, turned around, and said, "Hello, sister."
The remaining two children smiled and said, "Hello, big sister."
Xiong Yu'an forced a smile: "Okay, sure."
Anyone who sees this will only think how harmonious and polite their greetings are.
The eagle turned to the chicks that were still hopping around and called out, "Come down!"
"I do not!"
The eagle's face was stern, and he said in a low voice, "Get down, or I'll beat you up now. If you don't behave, I'll tell Dad and he'll beat you up too."
"Hmph, then go ahead and sue me." The chick turned its head away disdainfully, but still slowly climbed down.
The eagle looked down at the ground: "Sorry, sister, he accidentally pulled out a whole bunch."
“…It’s alright.” Xiong Yu’an said slowly, each word sounding like a knife grinding and rubbing against his own flesh.
Amidst the sound of footsteps, Dad's voice grew closer: "I bought some books last time, they're really good."
When Dad and Uncle arrived next to Xiong Yu'an, they saw that the room was in a mess.
"Are you all causing trouble?" The uncle chuckled, then straightened his face. "You're already quite the troublemaker."
Xiong Yu'an didn't want to admit that his thoughts were dark, but for some reason, this smile... was one of surprise and pride at appreciating something interesting.
"He's just a kid," the father said, turning to look for books on the shelf.
...Xiong Yu'an put the bag on the chair and squatted down, not knowing how to touch them. Finally, he picked up the top book and gently patted the shoe print on the surface.
The eagle crouched down, picked up a book, shook it, and patted it. It quickly gathered the surrounding books together, startling Xiong Yu'an.
"No need, I'll do it, really no need."
The other person meant well, but patting like that will only cause some non-dust stains to seep deeper, and some things that are not dirty will become contaminated instead.
The eagle said, "It's alright, sister, I'll put it away for you."
Dad quickly took out a brand-new tea ceremony book and handed it to Uncle: "Take this one with you when you leave."
"Hmm." The uncle answered casually, taking the book and flipping through it.
Dad glanced down at Xiong Yu'an, his brows furrowed: "You're always so slow and dawdling! Can't you be a little more efficient?!"
As if suddenly remembering something, he called out Eagle's nickname: "Any of these notebooks you like? You can take them home and use them."
Xiong Yu'an's hand suddenly stopped, and he looked up in disbelief.
"No need, no need," the eagle shook its head. "Thank you, Uncle."
Dad laughed and said, "She left it there without writing anything on it, so it's just sitting there. You can pick and choose."